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crash.net: Read Moto2 times with caution.
None of the teams have the official Honda spec engine and are using varying versions of the supersport engine available on the street to power their test chassis. The various states of tune will mean great differences in times.

motorcyclenews.com: Kevin Schwantz ‘«Ű Suzuki wrong not to sign Ben Spies
"Ben was with Suzuki since he was 16 and there was nothing really done to try and accommodate him.
"I think everybody is going to see that his World Superbike title wasn‘«÷t a fluke.‘«ō

visordown.com: Honda to source new bike parts from India. The bikes built with these parts, like the VFR1200F will be more and more targeted at China. The Japanese big bike market is saturated and others are close so look out Bejing.

Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:MOUNTING
Potential Number of Units Affected: 111569
Summary:
HARLEY-DAVIDSON IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 AND 2010 TOURING FAMILY MOTORCYCLES, INCLUDING CVO TOURING AND TRIKE PRODUCTS, MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 6, 2008 THROUGH NOVEMBER 19, 2009. THE FRONT FUEL TANK MOUNTS MAY DISTORT IN REACTION TO SEVERE FRAME DAMAGE FROM A FRONTAL COLLISION. THIS CONDITION MAY CAUSE A FUEL LEAK AT THE WELD OF THE FRONT BRACKET TO THE TUNNEL.

Consequence:
A FUEL LEAK IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE MAY RESULT IN A FIRE, WHICH COULD LEAD TO INJURY OR DEATH TO THE RIDER.

Remedy:
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LEFT AND RIGHT BRACE, WHICH ARE INTENDED TO REDUCE FRONT MOUNT DISTORTION DURING CERTAIN CRASH CONDITIONS. THIS REPAIR WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT DECEMBER 14, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HARLEY-DAVIDSON AT 1-414-343-4056.

Notes:
OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .

Thursday, December 10, 2009

We had between a 12 and 16 inches of snow in my corner of FOL and then came the winds. Drifts closed roads and some people will be snow bound for a day or more. That is completely bad. Snow bound people have no reason to go outside, unlike me. The wind chill factor is close to a -20??. I am worming up by posting what I forgot to earlier.

VW and Suzuki heads shook hands as they announced that, pending various approvals, VW is buying a 19.9% of Suzuki Motors for a reported $2.5 billion. In turn Suzuki will invest up to half the proceeds in a cross-shareholding, or roughly $1.13 billion, to purchase of a 2.5 percent voting stake in VW as part of the overall deal. The VW investment in Suzuki will have an indirect impact on the motorcycle segment of the company but this is clearly a cage deal and story. VW‘«÷s goal is to overtake Toyota as the world‘«÷s largest auto by 2018.

The Suzuki investment brings VW help with the growing Asian market and the Indian market in particular. Suzuki owns a 54% share of Maruti Suzuki, India's top carmaker. Conversely VW is currently the largest car maker in China a market that Suzuki wants to tap very much. VW will help Suzuki fill the hybrid and electric holes in its current auto lineup.

Volkswagen, with its 10 brands including Audi, Skoda, Seat and Porsche would reach its 2018 goal with relative ease if Suzuki became a subsidiary. However; Suzuki CEO Osamu Suzuki repeated that he did not intend the company he has led for three decades to come under VW's control.

"I don't want you to misunderstand: Suzuki is not becoming a 12th brand for Volkswagen," Suzuki said when asked whether the company might get a German CEO in the future. "I don't want other folks telling me how to do things."

His protestation is credible due to his past experience. Starting in 1981 GM purchased an interest in Suzuki. Approximately a year ago as the US auto industry was imploding Suzuki bought back GM‘«÷s similar share they purchased in Suzuki. Since that time Suzuki has sought another equity partner.

What does this mean for the Suzuki Motorcycle segment?

The VW is clearly a cage deal but it has at least two impacts on the motorcycle segment.

In the short term it means return to the previous internal status quo. The cash infusion replaces what was taken out in the repurchase of the GM portion. This will go a long way to relieve the internal pressures on the motorcycle segment as it deals with the external issue of hemorrhaging double digit declines in the motorcycle market.

This allows Suzuki to go racing as their AMA Pro Racing Series strategy announcement shows. 2010 Suzuki will not magically begin shipping to the NA shores. Inventories still need to be managed and so the shipping halts will continue. At the same time it means new product development may continue. This is good for Suzuki, fans of the big S and I would argue for the motorcycle industry in general.

In the long run there is potential for conflict in the goals of Suzuki motorcycles and Suzuki cages / VW. India is the best example of what I mean.

India has had a counter transportation to the one we accustomed to. As the world economy improved motorcycle companies were able to take some of the disposable income generated and convert that into customers and sales. In India the motorcycle had been the backbone of personal transportation. Good economic times resulted in declining motorcycle sales as Indians found they could start affording to move up to cars. When the economic down turn loomed bike sales dropped in NA, for example, as they became a luxury people could not afford; while in India they increased again as they once again became the only motorized transport many could afford.

Improvement in the world economy could turn all of this on its head again from a motorcycle segment perspective putting the goals of the three elements in conflict; unless motorcycle sales in the rest of the world recover in the process. The continued development of product and markets by all the two wheeled manufactures will determine if this works or not.

All of that is for the future. Today we know that VW purchased a 19.9% stake in Suzuki.

In the dynamics of the marketing of the new BMW S 1000 RR hypersportive who is currently receiving very positive the whole of the international press, the Michelin tyres have found immediate support from BMW Motorrad France to meet all the challenge of the forthcoming 2010 endurance World Championship.

An implication that responds to the inspirations of the mark as Jean Michel Cavret, Director of BMW Motorrad France. "The endurance is in the genes of BMW because it incorporates fundamental that we hold dear as performance, technology, engine performance or reliability. We are fortunate in France to have the two most prestigious events calendar; the 24 hours of le mans and the Golden Bowl. Their impact is real and represents a real marketing for our new S 1000 RR support. That is why this project is a real legitimacy and I fully share the enthusiasm and confidence around this BMW Motorrad back in the World Endurance Championship. I am also very pleased that Matthieu Lagrive S?ģbastien Gimbert and Erwan Nigon us join to meet with us this new challenge. These are drivers French fast and safe experience should enable this Michelin BMW team make progress very quickly.

Enthusiasm also shared by Jean Philippe Weber, Michelin motorcycle competition and the origin of this project Director: "I am very pleased with setting up this project and the enthusiasm he was able to raise BMW Motorrad France." The presence of S?ģbastien Gimbert, Matthieu Lagrive and Erwan Nigon will allow us to take full advantage of their experience to climb our level of performance with our competitors. The World Endurance Championship is in fact the only Championship still multi-marques and this direct competition with our competitors is the very basis of the Michelin philosophy. That is why this challenge is by far the most interesting for Michelin. Advancing our tyres through this partnership with BMW Motorrad has a much stronger than the simple support for already existing stables flavor.

The Michelin BMW team who will bear the number 17, will therefore placed under the responsibility of Jean Philippe Weber, logistics and technology will be entrusted to Jean Fran?ļois Daffix, already in charge of the Michelin Power Research Team program. For its part, sports management will be provided by Bernard Rigoni.

yankodesign.com: Folding fan is a keyboard
I am with the author of the article. The designer‘«÷s claimed intent is to protect users from shared bacteria. Who cares? I like it because this slick item could open up use of a number of electronic gizmos that want to make their way into my tankbag but don‘«÷t because of my fat fingers.

On the street is where Anne Palusso finds herself after being laid off from her job as Harley-Davidson Racing Manager. Apparently you don‘«÷t need a racing manager to run a Dirt Track or Drag Racing program at H-D.

H-D is not the only American motorcycle manufacturer forced to reorganize due to economic conditions. Big Dog Motorcycles (BDM) is seeking to merge, partner or sell itself off. The builder of custom bikes in the $20-40K range the economic down turn has it getting hit in several directions. In the good times it was able to arrange tax breaks from the city of Wichita, where it is based. With that help they expanded but now have lain off over 200 workers. As a result the city is reconsidering its tax status.

motorevue.com: BMW S1000RR ‘«£10% market share would be great‘«ō
Jean-Michel Cavret, French division director echoes a goal that has been around since the first announcement of the S1000RR project, but 10% of what?

In the first announcements of the S, BMW marketers placed the world sport bike market at 125,000 units per year. At the time this would have added 12,500 units to BMW‘«÷s annual production which was hovering around the 103,000 unit mark. In a recent issue of Motorcyclist featuring the S the 10% goal was there again but the market had been revised to 85,000 units per year for 2009. BMW production and sales have declined also and are expected to reach the upper 80‘«÷s. If the S had been a 2009 serial production unit Cavret‘«÷s goal that would be a nice bump to that figure having almost the same impact on sales as the entire K line up does.

In 2008 the K bike lineup represented 11.7% of the motorcycles BMW built. If BMW were to pick up the 10% share of the then sport bike market the S would have added in the range of another 10% to production. Have no doubt the S1000RR is an important bike to BMW.

BMW WSBK has completed the first of a minimum five year plan to go racing. With the exception Cinderella story fans the 2009 season provided story lines that can be spun to everyone‘«÷s needs. There is plenty to make them heroes or villains. For BMW Motorrad Motorsport it set the stage for an expanded encore in 2010. A satellite team, expand racing at the national level, a return to endurance racing and possibly a yet to be announced entrance into North American racing are just a few of the things revealed so far. For all the news related to these expansions the news that will determine if a five year racing run is a maximum or minimum will be reported from dealer show rooms.

The early press reviews have been very strong. I have yet to see a really negative review. Even writers predisposed to not like BMWs have been begrudgingly won over by the S1000RR. In the various press releases BMW officials such as Jean-Michel Cavret have pointed to strong pre-orders for the bike. All of this bodes very well for BMW AG, dealers, riders and race fans.

Before we all go looking for a pen to fill in our nomination for new bike of the year, sport bike of the year or maybe even bike of the year there is an unlikely class of challengers that will be lurking in showrooms and an unlikely brand with a new bike to take the S1000RR. Both point to a whole in BMW‘«÷s lineup and a possible direction for expansion for the sport bike line up from BMW Motorrad.

Back in post #47 I include a link to sales by motorcycle category from the British market. The naked class was the only class of bikes to show growth in an otherwise declining market. Take a look back at the various bikes show at Milan and many of them are heading in the naked direction if not already there. Could BMW find themselves in the position with the perfect on track story line spread over years, the best of class bike in the show room; only to find, with the exception of race track ticket sales, the market is going away from them?

Before you dismiss me as that crazy guy who rides a Roadster and posts a lot keep a few things in mind. Over 70% of BMW‘«÷s sales are in the European market. The figures were for Britain but are being repeated elsewhere in that market. I realize naked bikes is a big class. I don‘«÷t mean the ones like Honda‘«÷s new most important naked bike. I am talking about the naked bikes in the sport bike class; hooligan bikes. Triumph and its Speed Triple has owned this niche for years. Their competition on the street came in the form of custom bikes or repli-racers from the big four.

There may be a new kid on block that moved in from the past when superbikes didn‘«÷t have fairings and sometimes the winner was green. The new kid comes from the one manufacturer BMW Motorrad Motorsport beat in the 2009 World Superbike Manufacturers Championship point race, Kawasaki.

Motorcycle.com‘«÷s review of the new Kawasaki Z1000 is quite favorable. ‘«£The new Z1000 truly is a sportbike that can entertain a hardcore sport rider yet be a dextrous and multifaceted motorcycle for real-world riding conditions. With an MSRP less than some 600cc sportbikes, it's one of the best performance bargains available.‘«ō

Scroll down to the sidebar piece toward the end. You may well be asking what the writers did.

‘«£A Naked Sportbike: Will it sell in America this time around?

Albert Einstein's definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. After two underwhelming attempts to peddle a streetfighter-style naked sportbike, one wonders if Kawasaki Motors Corp USA might be a little demented.‘«ō

The question may be valid; however for BMW Motorrad it misses the point. In excess of 70% of BMW‘«÷s sales are in Europe. The Z1000 has been a hot seller in Europe and could be even stronger with the new model. Kawasaki could take on Triumph the street fighter champion and steel super bike sales from everyone in the process. For BMW the question is what do they have to fill the whole in their sport bike market?

Sorry BMW and you too guys, the K1300 in any form is a square peg. Yes there are K bikes that have been converted into hooligan bikes, land speed records set and on and on. But in the show room it is a square peg.

BMW needs to take the 183bhp at the rear wheel 1000 engine and stuff it in a sporty street frame chain and all. Keep the weight way down. This thing isn‘«÷t being built to a FIM racing class. No Durolever suspension either. Styling will be important but don‘«÷t overdo it and for gawds sakes don‘«÷t include any of us in your market focus groups for that. Finally, it would make me proud but don‘«÷t you dare call it a Roadster. Johnny Cash had a hit with the song A Boy Named Sue but take cashes advice at the end of the song and paraphrase it and call this fire breathing German street fighter anything but Roadster!

Wow. Now that I have that out of my system I can finish this post. When that is done I will jump over to F1 and convince Michael Schumacher that he really should leave the open seat at Mercedes GP to Nick Heidfeld and take my advice and go do a deal with Peter Sauber after he has lunch with Luca Montezemolo and sign with Sauber-Ferrari.

Angelina. Gosh she looks great on a bike. And given she has a lot more at stake, she's braver than me (and/or crazier).

Didn‘«÷t forget them but they don‘«÷t define the class they are part of it. Some place I have a picture I used a couple of years ago of Angelina gearing up with full ATGATT to ride a BMW ‘«ŰIIRC a GS-no where near the impact. She is on a Triumph Speed Triple for a reason. Say Hooligan bike and that is the bike imaged in peoples minds. She rides. If she is going to have perfect makeup, nails and complimentary cloths and be pictured riding a bike and have her picture taken it will be on something with the image of a Speed Triple.

The F800R hopped up would be great bike. But it‘«÷s not going to play in the hooligan market. It‘«÷s a Roadster on steroids named Sue.

When BMW went into the sport bike arena it set the goal of beating the Japanese at their own game. They did not redo the K bike and engine it started with a clean sheet of paper and a set of FIM rules and came up with S1000RR

Der Street-K?Ůmpfer

Don‘«÷t just strip down the S or rework some other model lines R.

Remember the Charles Atlas comic ads about the guy at the beach who gets sand kicked in his face and his girl stolen by the beach hooligan? BMW has been body building. I want them to put on the right swim suite (frame/suspension/minimal bodywork) and head back to the beach and take Angelina back from Triumph and put her on a Street-K?Ůmpfer!

BMW is getting knocked kiddingly by some in the press for sandbagging the horsepower rating. What I am suggesting taking that bad boy engine and chain driveline over to a clean sheet of paper and taking on Triumph and all the other Hooligan / Street-fighter bikes and beating them at their own game. Show all the engines power, don‘«÷t be ashamed of it. Build a specific chassis for bike with a specific look. Don‘«÷t use the current headlight system. Use some of the new cutting edge headlights that are legal and give the bike a face completely separate from its siblings. Triumph‘«÷s 2009 Speed Triple was $11.3K I have not seen the 2010 pricing; so give it a price point of no more than $12K.

For the ad campaign think Norton Girls but with Hooligan Girls who actually can ride‘«™that‘«÷s all I can say on this PG website.

I can't see BMW building a naked version anytime soon without one of two things happening:

They would either detune it or price it the same as the sportbike, to prevent it cutting into S1000RR sales.

If they did build it, odds are it wouldn't be available here. Nakeds look great in magazines and lots of us say we'd like to buy them, but in reality they seem to show strong sales in Europe and weak in America; so we don't get what they do.

I am going to stick my neck out and make a prediction:

Two years.

That's about how long the big four run generational development on sportbikes. I don't think BMW is likely to commit to keeping up with that pace, and is more likely to peel the plastic and sell the same bike as a streetfighter to get maximum return on their investment.

It will be interesting to see how they advertise it, too. Norton didn't show a lot of skin, but sure got suggestive.

Kick-off for the manufacture of the BMW G 650 GS in Manaus.
‘«ů 16.12.2009

Manaus/Munich. On Monday December 14th 2009, CKD assembly of the BMW G 650 GS officially started at the DAFRA Motos plant in Manaus/Brazil. This means that BMW motorcycles will be produced outside Europe for the first time ever.

The agreement between BMW Motorrad and the local motorcycle producer DAFRA Motos was announced at the motorcycle trade fair ‘«£Feira Duas Rodas‘«ō in Sao Paolo in October. DAFRA Motos is now producing the BMW G 650 GS on behalf of BMW Motorrad, exclusively for the Brazilian market.

Hendrik von Kuenheim, General Director BMW Motorrad: ‘«£CKD manufacture here in Manaus will help BMW do Brasil significantly increase its sales further. In this way Brazil will move up into the top 10 leading sales markets for BMW Motorrad.
DAFRA is an ideal partner for us. We were impressed with their experience in the motorcycle industry, economic solidity and high degree of professionalism combined with an entrepreneurial approach - this is why we decided to realize the project with this company."

Henning Dornbusch, President of BMW Group Brasil: ‘«£The agreement will give Brazilian customers better access to the products of the brand BMW Motorrad. Thanks to our partnership with DAFRA we are able to strengthen our market position since we are offering an attractive product which is tailored to the needs of the Brazilian market and, above all, is affordable. The partnership also increases our transparency and credibility in Brazil.

We expect the BMW G 650 GS to be available to Brazilian customers through the BMW dealership network from February next year. The sales forecast for 2010 is approximately 1,000 units.‘«ō

In order to fulfil BMW Motorrad‘«÷s requirements, a new production line was set up at the DAFRA plant. It is conceptually based on the current production line for the G 650 GS at the BMW Motorrad plant in Berlin. In order to fulfil the necessary quality standards, the team DAFRA Motos team was specially trained by the production and quality specialists at the BMW Motorrad plant in Berlin.

BMW Motorrad selected DAFRA because the company presented a structured growth plan with 100% Brazilian capital, offering solid investments in Brazil, modern facilities and in particular showing great interest in evolving within the motorcycle industry with BMW.

In a little less than a year since being founded, DAFRA gained a respectable share in the Brazilian motorcycle market as well as demonstrating its respectability and its dedication to customers and the local motorcycle industry.

Personalized license plates are all over the place. We can have backgrounds that tout our college, military service and more. Thn we can add letting to create our own message. What that message is may not always be clear. jsonline.com has the setup for this story about an immaculate H-D with the plate DYNGR and originally came from url=http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2009/12/personalized_michigan_license.html[mlive.com[/url].

Ever go to a bakery and see the perfect cruller in the case, purchase it and take it home to have with your morning coffee?

Triumph is putting out a Special Edition of the Thruxton. In the specs I have read so far no major up date beyond the cosmetic treatment is planned. In photographs and based on comments of those who have seen the bike in person it is well executed continuation of their SE models such as the Speed Triple SE shown at Milan.

When you sit down to have that perfect looking cruller it just doesn‘«÷t taste the way you wanted and you are disappointed.

That Roland Sands link is one of the best things I've seen in a long time!
Dad used to tell me stories like that about his riding adventures, (before his permanent arm injury forced him to sell the Harley), but it was hard to visualize.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

University of Minnesota engineering students have developed a motorcycle that can be ridden by paraplegics. The motorcycle is equipped with landing wheels much like the ones on a jet which allows riders to come to a stop as the wheels come down.

BMW riding high after success at MotorCycle News Awards
• 30.11.2009
• Press Release
BMW Motorrad UK enjoyed further success at this year’s MotorCycle News (MCN) Awards, as Europe’s largest and most successful motorcycle manufacturer scooped two honours. The K 1300 S was voted the Best Sports Tourer of 2009, while the F 800 GS conquered the Best Trailie category for the second year running.

acem.eu – The topic of the 6th annual ACEM conference will be Which industrial policy for the motorcycle sector?

TED | Alexis Ohanian – How to make a splash in social media
In a funny, rapid-fire 4 minutes, Alexis Ohanian of Reddit tells the real-life fable of one humpback whale's rise to Web stardom. The lesson of Mister Splashy Pants is a shoo-in classic for meme-makers and marketers in the Facebook age.

If you are not the baker sometimes the cruller you eat has been shipped around and around before it hits the table with your morning coffee. I wonder if any of you know who the baker of this German pastry is?